Unleashed Potential
by Master-Ant
Summary: Naruto was never trained by anybody before he met Iruka and still managed to beat people like Haku, Gaara and Neji. So, what if he got a teacher even before he started the academy? Rated M for dark themes, murder, and probably language.
1. It begins with Mouse

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; or other Animes / Games / Films / Mangas / Books.

Summary:

In canon Naruto was never trained by anybody before he met Iruka, receiving special training only after he met Jiraiya, and still managed to beat people like Haku, Gaara and Neji.

So, what if he got a teacher even before he started the academy? Will he develop as usual, will he get frighteningly strong, or will it weaken him in the long run?

This my first story, so please review and tell me how to improve my writing. Criticism is welcome, flames not so much.

"I declare nothing!"; 'I think that was a good idea'; **Writing style: Senseless Jutsu**

x X x x X x x X x

Mikoto Uchiha sat in the living room, drinking a cup of tea and reading in a book. It was afternoon, the only time of the day she had for herself alone. Itachi was out with his team and Fugaku just went to to fetch Sasuke from the academy.

Sasuke was 3 years old and attended the preparatory branch of the academy, that branch that was visited by ninja and civilians alike. They taught reading and writing to the children, along with basic mathematics. Additionally they showed them easy workout practises, mainly for the civilian children which wanted to become ninja. The shinobi clans all had their own training methods, passed down from generation to generation. The classes were compulsory if one wanted to enter the regular ninja academy. Civilians just sent their children in order for them to learn reading and writing. Since there were no other schools in Konoha this was the only opportunity for their children to learn from qualified teaching personnel.

It was July and the children had started their classes a month ago and the first evaluation of their skills, or rather their progress, was due. Unsurprisingly, Shikamaru Nara made the best progress, followed closely by Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuuga. All three came from prestigious clans, hailed for their combat expertise and sharp minds. The worst were the Inuzuka boy and the Kyuubi brat. Kiba Inuzuka just had a tremendously short attention span, while the Kyuubi boy just wasn´t making any progress. The boy had no fault in that, but the Hokage didn´t need to know that. Kensuke Ito, the teacher responsible for the class, had written its report in a way, that it would seem that it distracted Kiba and that the poor boy couldn´t follow the lessons because of that. Hopefully the Hokage would remove the demon from the class. Regardless, he had to change his behaviour soon. The other children were getting suspicious of the special treatment it received, the brighter ones anyway. If he had luck the demon was far enough behind so that it couldn´t catch up anymore.

(AN: No misuse of pronouns here. Kensuke views Naruto as a demon and thus refers to him as a thing)

Sasuke was one of those brighter students, and if he had learned one thing in his life it was that his father was never proud of him, even if he fulfilled his expectations, while his mother always commended him if he made progress. His brother on the other hand was always proud of him, regardless what he did and how he did it. So it wasn´t surprising that his father wordlessly read the evaluation his teacher had written and just said 'come' when he was done. On the way home he hoped that his mother would congratulate him for his efforts.

When Mikoto heard the door open and Sasuke call, "I´m home." she looked up from her book and smiled at her youngest as he entered the living room. "Welcome home Sasuke, how was your day at the academy?" While Sasuke enthusiastically told her about his day, Fugaku put the evaluation card onto the desk in order for Mikoto to read it later and went into his study.

"When is Itachi coming home?" Sasuke asked as he finished his story.

"I´m not sure. Most likely he´ll be out for another hour," came the honest reply, which made Sasuke pout.

"Not fair! I wanted Itachi to show me how to throw shuriken."

"If you do your homework he might does when he comes home," Mikoto said amused.

"Alright, I´ll go upstairs and do my homework." And with that Sasuke practically flew up the stairs.

Mikoto smiled at Sasuke´s antics and moved to take a look at the evaluation Fugaku had dropped on the table. 'Second in class, very good. You´ll be first in a year. Nara children always lose interest in school, due to their high intelligence. Plus your Uchiha pride won´t let you rest until you´re the best ... with a clear gap between you and the rest.' Yep, she was positively proud of her son.

x X x x X x x X x x X x

Itachi hadn´t such a nice day. He and his team had completed their morning training and were now doing their second D-rank mission for the day. The first had been weeding. Annoying and boring, yet convenient. Now they had to catch a cat. Not just any cat, but Tora the cat of Madam Shijimi, the Fire Daimyo´s wife. They had her cornered 4 times already and she still managed to escape somehow. This time they would catch her, he was sure of it. They had her cornered again and waited for the signal to capture the target. "Now." He sprang into action. This time _he_ would capture the cat, and she could claw as much as she wants he wouldn´t let her go.

He did capture the cat, and she did claw; at his face. It hurt, but ninjas were meant to endure. And he endured it, all the way back to the Hokage Tower. Granted, it didn´t take that long. Let´s just say Itachi never made it to the tower faster than on this day. Even years later, when he would be in ANBU, it would still take him longer to reach the tower from the clearing on training ground 28.

Having completed the mission, and after paying a visit to the hospital (he was the Uchiha heir after all. Facial scars weren´t acceptable for him, especially if they were caused by a pet kitten.), Itachi could finally go home. His sensei had assured him that this particular mission only came up if Madam Shijimi was in the village, which was only about twice a year.

x X x x X x x X x x X x

"I´m home."

Itachi´s simple statement upon closing the door behind him led to Sasuke immediately running up to him and shouting "Nii-san! What did you do today? Tell me. Tell me."

"Sasuke, let your brother come in first," his mother scolded from behind him.

"Sorry," Sasuke quickly apologised for assaulting his brother with his questions.

"It´s alright, otouto." Itachi then turned to his mother, "Sorry for being late, our last mission was surprisingly challenging," he said apologetically, adding "annoying cat" under his breath.

Mikoto, having heard the cat statement, actually started to laugh. "What did little Tora do to deserve such harsh words?"

"You know that fiend?" Itachi asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"Let´s just say she likes to run around Konoha. Just pray that you are either chunin, or unavailable the next time she´s in town. You don´t want to hunt her twice, trust me," Mikoto said, grimacing at her memories.

"Itachi, can you show me how to throw a shuriken?" Sasuke asked, thinking the conversation between his mother and brother was over.

"Aren´t you a little too young to use such dangerous tools?" his brother asked jokingly.

"I'm old enough!" Sasuke complained.

"Well we can use the dull ones, go fetch them while I wait for you, ok?"

With a happy smile on his face Sasuke raced to the dojo, where the dull training weapons were located.

"His evaluation came in today," Mikoto stated, "He´s second, just behind the Nara boy."

"Predictable, they´re unbeatable in terms of intelligence. Their laziness makes up for it though."

x X x x X x x X x x X x

It was 5 pm when they started training, and 7 pm by the time their mother called them in for dinner. Sasuke looked extremely happy, having spent the evening training with his brother. He couldn´t really throw shuriken yet, but with Itachi´s help he was improving. He had even hit the target once, a feat Itachi congratulated him for.

After dinner Fugaku inspected Sasuke´s homework, while Mikoto did the dishes. Sasuke and Itachi were playing a card game. Sasuke had won the first round, but lost the second. They were just preparing for round three, as Mikoto´s voice came from the kitchen, "Sasuke, time for bed." While Sasuke didn´t want to go to bed before they had decided who was the better player, he knew better than to complain. Still, his face seemed to show his feelings, because Itachi sent him off with the words "We´ll finish tomorrow, Sasuke."

After Sasuke had brushed his teeth and changed into his pyjamas his mother entered his room, with a book in her hand. Usually she read a bedtime story to him, but today she had a different book in her hands. "What´s that book?" Sasuke asked, intrigued with the change in their habit.

"It´s a primer, the standardized primer to go along with Konoha´s curriculum," Mikoto answered with a smile.

"What is a curriculum? And what is a primer?"

"A primer is a book for you to read, and a curriculum is basically what you learn in school."

"So, today I read a story to you?"

"I would appreciate it."

The book wasn´t hard to understand. Sasuke knew all the words and signs, he just had to stop sometimes, in order to remember their meaning. Then it happened. He couldn´t remember a word. He simply couldn´t remember that word. 'We definitely had that in class, I remember seeing it in the textbook. I should ask mum what it means.' Just as he was about to ask his mother, he remembered what happened in class.

x X x x X x x X x x X x

_Earlier today, Academy_

"_You, in the back row, read the text," their teacher commanded._

"_Yes, Ito-sensei!" a blond boy answered and started to read out the text. He was a slow reader, stumbling over the pronunciation every so often. Then he hit the new word. Naturally he stopped reading and looked up, seeking the eyes of our teacher. "Ito-sensei, I don´t know the next word."  
><em>"_Are you stupid? We just discussed it a minute ago!" their teacher shouted.  
>Truth be told, Naruto had no chance to understand it. It was their last lesson today and that meant that Kiba, who was seated next to him, wasn´t paying any attention to the teacher and instead playing with his pencils and making loud noises. Well, they weren´t that loud, just loud enough to drown out their teacher.<em>

"_That´s extra homework! Copy the story three times. And you´ll read it again tomorrow."_  
>"<em>But..."<em>  
>"<em>No excuses, and that´s six copies. Now, Shikamaru would you please continue the story?"<em>

x X x x X x x X x x X x

That was why Sasuke didn´t remember the word. He couldn´t understand the teacher explaining the word, because of Kiba´s noise. After all he sat a row in front of them. Normally he could understand the other pupils if they read. They read loud, in order to hide their uneasiness. However, today Kiba was louder than usual, probably because it was his birthday and he was excited to go home. That´s why Sasuke had failed to understand Shikamaru, thus he never learned what the word meant.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Mikoto asked after Sasuke hadn´t continued for a minute.

"Mum, I don´t know that word," Sasuke replied, showing his mother which word he meant.

"It´s Mouse."

"Is it a bad thing that I didn´t know it?"

"No, it´s not. Nobody is perfect and you´re still learning."

"But Ito-sensei gave a punishment to a student for not knowing the word."

"There must have been something else, no teacher would do such a thing."

"No, he just couldn´t understand Ito-sensei, because Kiba was too loud. And I couldn´t either."

"Nothing else?"

"No, he just said that he didn´t know the word. He did nothing else."

"Who are we talking about?"

"Well, Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. He sits in the last row, next to Kiba."

"Did he try to take a different seat? I mean, did he try to take a place where Kiba can´t disturb him?" Mikoto would think after Sasuke was asleep, her son mattered more at the moment.

"He tried to take a seat in the first row, after Ito-sensei punished him the first time for not knowing something ~"

"So he gets punished for not knowing something on a regular basis?" Mikoto interjected.

"Yes, at least once a week. Ito-sensei sent him back into the last row, stating that a troublemaker belongs in the back."

"Is he a troublemaker?"

"No, he tries to get as little attention as possible."

"Hmm, alright. Enough with those unpleasant things. I wan´t to know what happens with the mouse, could you read on, please?

"Mum, I ~"

"Sasuke, it´s late and I want you to finish the story."

"Yes, mum." And with that, Sasuke continued the story.

x X x x X x x X x x X x

'What to do about Naruto? He didn´t keep his promise, but does that mean I can break mine? With the current tensions between them and us?'

_Flashback; 1 year earlier, Council chamber_

"_Hokage-sama, Honourable Elders, council members, Naruto Uzumaki was thrown out of yet another orphanage. Of the 6 orphanages in Konoha, 5 threw him out. I once again propose to adopt him and give him a home, along with a family."_

_Murmurs were going around the room, as Mikoto Uchiha voiced her enquiry to the council._

"_We spoke about this matter in the past, Mikoto, Naruto joining your family is out of the question," Danzo immediately responded."_

"_Sadly I have to agree with Danzo, Mikoto. Naruto is a valuable asset to Konoha and as such musn´t be dragged into clan politics," the Hokage added, supporting Danzo´s refusal._

"_Then at least promise to help him more! He´ll just get thrown out of the sixth orphanage if you move him there."_

"_What makes you think that? Is it our fault that he gets himself into trouble?" Danzo stated, refusing to take orders from that woman._

"_Now, now, let´s not be hasty with throwing guilt around. What do you propose, Mikoto?"_

"_You could let him live in an apartment. I would check on him if ~"_

"_Weren´t we clear enough? We don´t want you, or your clan near him!"_

"_Fine. I get it. I am to under no circumstances make contact with Naruto Uzumaki. Is at least my son allowed to befriend him, should they get along."_

"_Your son is part of your clan."_

"_DANZO!" as much as Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to let Danzo handle this unpleasant affair, enough was enough.  
>"It was clearly stated that the younger generation is not to be affected by the power play of the adults. It´s the most basic rule in Konoha, and as long as I live, it will be enforced."<em>

"_Thank you Hokage-sama," Mikoto said, bowing her head to the Hokage in gratitude._

"_I will take action and ensure that Naruto can grow up like a normal child. I promise you that he won´t be actively hindered in his progress as a person and as a ninja, should I be able to directly control it. In return, you will stay away from him as a person. Whether your son befriends him or not is not for us to decide," the Hokage made his decision, satisfying both parties._

_Mikoto left the chamber after that, leaving the council to continue their meeting. No one had spoken up for either side, as she had expected. Naruto was a delicate subject, with only two parties caring about him. The Hokage and his cronies on one side, she and the Uchiha clan on the other side. Granted her clan didn´t care for the boy, but nobody in the village would acknowledge that fact. Everyone high enough knew that they were suspected traitors and could supposedly control the Kyuubi. Apparently the other council members accepted that Naruto´s situation had to be improved and decided to not interrupt, once Danzo and the Hokage made it clear that she wouldn´t get Naruto._

"_I suppose it´s better than nothing. I´m out of the picture for good. Have a pleasant life, Naruto."_

_End Flashback_

Naruto´s teacher was hindering his progress by forcing him to sit in the last row, next to a loud troublemaker no less. Kensuke Ito was a Shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. Granted he was a Genin who only taught little children how to read, write, and calculate, but still the Hokage´s subordinate. Thus the Hokage can control the treatment Naruto receives, yet doesn´t act.

'Still, the first evaluation was due today. I should wait a month to see whether he acts or not. If he doesn´t act ... do I act, or do I enquire again? Doing the first I would risk war, doing the last I would risk Naruto´s well being. What would you do if our positions were reversed, Kushina?'

x X x x X x x X x x X x

First chapter finished! Slow start I know. Will get faster in the next chapter and probably "really" start in chapter 3 or 4.

Expect an update by ... July? I don´t know. I started this on Easter and just finished now. Granted, I had to concentrate on school (final year, leaving with an university-entrance diploma ["Abitur", for those familiar with the German system]), but don´t expect updates at a breakneck pace.

Reviews are welcome, since this is my first story.

- MasterAnt


	2. Shadows vow to help

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; or other Animes / Games / Films / Mangas / Books.

"I declare nothing!"; 'I think that was a good idea'; **Writing style: Senseless Jutsu**

x X x x X x x X x x X x

Kushina Uzumaki, mother of Naruto Uzumaki, had been a close friend of Mikoto Uchiha while she was alive. Mikoto had been devastated once she heard Kushina had died during the Kyuubi attack. Minato sealing the demon into little Naruto had just been the last straw.

'Why couldn´t you just destroy it, you idiot? Your should have been capable enough, _Greatest Hokage Ever_. Without Kyuubi sealed in him the Third would´ve allowed me to adopt him. Whoever controlled the Kyuubi that night, he destroyed Naruto´s life, as well as my clan.'

Mikoto´s main problem was, that the Hokage didn´t just throw guilt around. The Kyuubi did have a pair of Sharingan eyes until the Fourth teleported it away from the village, indicating that it was controlled through the use of such eyes. Historic documents clearly stated that at least one Uchiha was capable of controlling the fox; during his battle with the First Hokage, Madara Uchiha used the Kyuubi as a means to overpower his opponent. In the Hokage´s opinion that meant each Uchiha could control the Kyuubi, probably even every Bijuu out there.

'Knowing Kushina she simply would have taken Sasuke after he was thrown out of the _first_ orphanage. Without asking for permission. I might have failed her as a friend, but I couldn´t do such a thing, it would have meant civil war. Openly speaking up for him obviously didn´t work. I guess I´ll have to work from the shadows, then. Still, I can´t really help him in person, it would be too obvious. I´ll develop a plan and wait if the Hokage acts, shouldn´t he act ..."

x X x x X x x X x x X x

"Kensuke, your report states that Naruto isn´t doing well in the academy, why do you think that is the case?"

The Hokage wasn´t pleased. He had just read the report Kensuke Ito, an academy instructor, had written for one Naruto Uzumaki. He didn´t like the notion of Naruto being a troublemaker, much less an unteachable troublemaker. True, Naruto didn´t necessarily need the ability to read and write, or even maths for that matter. He was destined to be Konoha´s tool of war. The Kyuubi attack had cost them dearly, so soon after the Third Great War no less, and Naruto was the key to regaining their strength. Plus the Uchiha clan wasn´t a reliable addition to Konoha. Banishing them would give other villages the opportunity to recruit them, plus make Konoha weaker for the public eye. Disposing of them all in a black operation would be his first choice, but again it would weaken Konoha and could provoke another war.

"Hokage-sama, the boy is a menace. He keeps the other students from learning and all I could do was put him in the last row. Sadly we don´t have enough seats and one student has to sit next to him. Poor Kiba can´t concentrate on the lessons with that boy in the class. I suggest you remove him from the academy and have him educated privately, although I fear that´d be a waste of funds and time."

"Is he that bad?"

"He doesn´t listen, can´t keep quiet, and is unable to accept reprimands or rules. I fear that boy is a liability to society and that he´ll never make a good ninja."

"Still, everybody deserves a chance. Kensuke, please try not to lose patience with him. Let´s give him a little bit of time. February next year. It´s two report periods till then."

"As you wish Hokage-sama."

"Dismissed."

The implications weren´t good. Granted, Naruto didn´t need to become a good ninja, he needed to become a good weapon. However, without the ability to read and write he´d always need an instructor in the field to tell him his orders. It wasn´t a catastrophe, just a hassle.

'Let´s hope conditioning is still an option next spring. If we can´t teach him basic human abilities he´ll question his loyalties later on. Just a whisper in his ear and he could turn on us. So it´s either he becomes a ninja of Konoha, or he becomes an emotionless weapon. Who could I task with conditioning him? Danzo´s an expert, but not trustworthy enough to handle our Jinchuuriki. He´d use him for his own goals – unacceptable. A talented Yamanaka could lock away his emotions with their clan techniques. Inoichi seems suited. But the person in question would have to be silenced afterwards. The Will of Fire has to be preserved after all. An effective propaganda is more worth than you would think.'

x X x x X x x X x x X x

One month later.

Sasuke Uchiha was sitting in his bed, reading the last chapter of the book his mother had called "primer".

"... sadly the mouse was too old, and couldn´t escape the cat anymore. That way the old mouse left the world and made place for the younger mice to make even greater robberies from the kitchen. The End."

"Very good, Sasuke. Did you like reading the story for yourself?"

"It was great! It makes even more fun than listening to your stories!"

"I guess I won´t read to you again, then."

"MUM! I didn´t mean it that way. Your stories are great, too. Please don´t stop reading them to me."

Mikoto couldn´t help but laugh at her sons expression. "I was just joking, Sasuke. Of course I´ll continue to read stories to you."

"Please don´t make jokes like that."

"I promise. Still, I also want you to read stories. What do you say if we take turns?"

"I would like that."

"So, how is school these days?"

"Like ever. Kiba´s still annoying and Naruto still gets all the blame."

"Really? Does the teacher continue the unfair treatment you told me about a month ago?"

"It´s even worse. Ito-sensei now scolds Naruto for every disturbance that arises. To him it´s not Kiba making noise, it´s Naruto making noise. If other students talk among themselves sensei reprimands Naruto for talking. The first time, he tried to argue himself out and got even more extra homework AND detention."

"Has anybody ever tried to speak up for him? Or did any adults ever show interest in him?"

"Not that I know of. Ito-sensei is scary when he´s angry, we are all relieved that he only picks on Naruto."

A short silence filled the room as Sasuke seemed to think about his next words. "Mum?"

"What is it, Sasuke?"

"Can´t you do something? You´re an adult and interested in him, why don´t you help him?"

'Can I? Should I? What do I tell Sasuke? - I remained passive far too long, I have to act!'

"Don´t worry, Sasuke. I´ll take care of it. I will help him, but I can´t change your teacher. His treatment won´t change. Still, I will help Naruto, I promise."

"Thanks, mum. Goodnight"

"Goodnight, Sasuke."

x X x x X x x X x x X x

While Mikoto had hoped for the best she hadn´t remained idle the last month. She did plan how to help Naruto and who would do it. She only needed him to agree, but giving him the right bait should be enough.

'I really hope this works. He did idolize him, even after meeting him and that means something.'

She had put Sasuke to bed a minute ago and Fugaku was out resolving a problem for the military police. It was the perfect opportunity. Fugaku would forbid her to interfere, he even scolded her after she spoke up for him in front of the council. He had to be left in dark, hopefully she could convince her son to remain silent.

"Itachi, do you have a moment?"

Itachi was sitting on the couch in the living room, cleaning and polishing his weapons.

"What is it, mother?" Itachi responded, interrupting his work.

"I have to ask you a favour."

"What kind of favour?"

"Before I tell you, you must promise me something. Promise me not to tell anybody. Not your father, not the Hokage, not ANYBODY."

"What is so important?"

"All I can say now is that it includes the Fourth Hokage." 'There goes the bait.'

"I promise not to tell, yet I don´t promise to accept." Itachi seemed eager once his mother mentioned his idol.

'He fell for it, hook, line and sinker' "What do you know about Naruto Uzumaki, the boy in Sasuke´s class?"

"He´s an orphan, bad at school, a troublemaker, and has the Kyuubi sealed inside him."

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Does parentage ring any bells?"

"Not directly."

"Even you don´t remember. Why does everybody forget? Does it make things easier?"

"What are you talking about? I get the felling that I´m missing something."

"Think about his name. How many other Uzumaki do you know?"

"Well, there was the wife of the First Hokage, don´t tell me he´s ~"

"No, he´s not. Think a bit more recent."

"Other than her I only remember Kushina, your friend. But she didn´t have children. She died before giving birth."

"Itachi, what I tell you next is a village secret. I am not supposed to know it and if you tell someone both of our heads will roll. Kushina did give birth. She died afterwards, while fighting off the Kyuubi together with Minato. She gave birth in secret, because she was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. She told me her secret before she asked me for advice in how she should tell Minato."

"She was what and what does that mean?"

"Naruto is the Kyuubi´s new jinchuuriki. Minato sealed the fox inside him after it escaped from the seal Kushina had."

"Jinchuuriki is the term used for it?"

"Yes, but apparently the Third didn´t think about the implications, else the village wouldn´t discriminate against him. They didn´t know about Kushina. It would have been best if Naruto had been the same."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"Help him, train him. He doesn´t get help in the academy according to Sasuke. I don´t know the Third´s plans, but apparently he doesn´t care enough to act."

"I´m just a genin. And I´m training for the Chuunin Exams at the moment. I´m neither qualified nor do I have the time."

"You are skilled enough! He´s three years old. Teach him how to read. Show him some basic workout exercises. Exercises suited for a three year old, mind you. Give him an exercise or two for his chakra control, he´ll need it."

"Why don´t you do it yourself?

"I can´t. The Hokage watches me. I can probably get in contact with him once or twice. You are off the radar. Approach him, tell him about his mother. Teach him how to keep secrets and then tell him about his burden and about his father. He deserves to have a chance and, most importantly, he deserves to know."

"Why should he trust me?"

"Tell him ... tell him that I´ll visit him in two months. A close friend of his mother."

"But that´s when ~"

"Exactly. Security may be heightened, but there´s too much going on for the average ninja to care about Naruto. There´s only one who´ll care and I can definitely get him to keep silent. Plus you won´t have time to look after him, I´ll watch over him during the exams."

"I´ll think about it. I want to pass the exams, but that boy deserves a chance. Considering what we owe his parents, he deserves much more."

"Thank you, Itachi."

"I didn´t say I´ll do it, yet." And with that Itachi continued cleaning his weapons. Though Mikoto could tell that his thoughts were entirely elsewhere.

'You know the right thing to do. You´re my son, after all.' Mikoto thought, before picking up a scroll and starting to write detailed instructions for Itachi.

x X x x X x x X x x X x

The next day

It was a sunny day in Konoha. Lunch break was over and the children of the preparatory class were getting ready for their last subject that day: Workout practice.

"All right kids, warm-up. 1 round around the academy."

And the kids started to run. While one round around the academy sounds like a joke to most people, it is important to note that these children are between 3 and 4 years old. Because of their lacking height and speed they need around 2 minutes for this round.

"Okay, are you all warmed-up?"

"Yes, Ito-sensei." the children chorused back.

"Next up are push-ups. 4 from each of you. All get down on the ground."

"One."

"Two."

"Three." Some students were clearly starting to get trouble with the exercise.

"Four." This time, one of the students couldn´t push himself up and cursed "Stupid exercise."

Ito looked at the culprit. It was a civilian girl, Megumi Sato. Clearly no ninja material, hopefully she wouldn´t attempt a ninja career. Ninjas were meant to endure, not to complain. Still there was only one true culprit in his group.

"Brat! You´ll do two extra push-ups for disrupting the class."

It was common knowledge who Ito-sensei addressed as "brat"_._ Naruto Uzumaki, their scapegoat and the only one of them to get scolded by their teacher. It had been fun at first, but after two days they felt equally sorry for Naruto as they felt happy for not getting scolded.

"The rest of you comes over here." Kensuke ordered the other students, while Naruto got down for his fifth push-up. Megumi mumbled a weak "Sorry." as she passed him, but that didn´t really help him.

"Each of you will climb one of these trees." Kensuke pointed at a group of trees, which had ropes coming down from the top to assist the small children in climbing them. "There is a small surprise for you hidden at the top of the trees, now get ready, GO."

The children raced to the trees and started to climb them. It was hard work. And would most likely keep them busy for the rest of the lesson.

"Ito-sensei, I finished the extra push-ups." Naruto addressed his teacher.

"I didn´t see you doing them. Get down and do three push-ups."

"Three?" Naruto started to complain, but quickly slapped his hands in front of his mouth.

"Four push-ups. Two as initial punishment, one for lying and one for talking back."

Paying extra attention to not show his anger on his face Naruto got down and did the four additional push-ups. The third was painful and for a moment he believed he couldn´t to the fourth, but he managed, somehow. It had always been like this, he could take punishment. Whether it was the boys at the orphanage beating him up, either for fun or because they were ordered to, or the extra exercises at the academy. Nothing could ruin his body, his wounds always healed over night. And a sore muscle took about ten minutes to feel normal again.

"Okay. You can take that tree." His teacher pointed to a tree a aside the others. It also had ropes hanging out from the top. Still, Naruto got a feeling this tree was destined to be his. There was a small gap between this tree and the others, which made it possible to manipulate the tree and still keep anyone except him from climbing it.

'If I´m lucky the tree just lacks sensei´s surprise if not my surprise will be painful, the ropes are cut, or some branches are partially cut. I really hope he just _forgot_ my surprise.' Naruto thought bitterly as he pulled on the first rope - only to have it fall out of the tree. Luckily there was a second he could use. Naruto couldn´t find anything else amiss on his way up, which took him 30 minutes.

As he reached the top he could see the other children had already returned to the ground, holding a bag, filled with various sweets. As he suspected he found nothing on his tree. Only cut marks, where a knife was used to cut a rope, were visible. 'So he did cut it. Probably wanted me to fall on my back and complain about the pain, so he could punish me some more. Well better get down, sensei looks impatient.'

It took Naruto 5 Minutes to get down from his tree. He was paying special attention to the branches, he didn´t want to step on one that would break if stepped on. Back on the ground he didn´t get a "good job" like the others most likely got.

"Took you long enough. Where is your sweets bag?"

'He actually is shameless enough. Don´t say the wrong thing Naruto, don´t say the wrong thing.'

"I didn´t find it, Ito-sensei." 'It wasn´t there to begin with, bastard.'

While Naruto didn´t really know the meaning of "bastard", he understood that people used it on other people who they didn´t like. Mostly on him, but that´s beside the point.

"You didn´t find it?"

"No, sensei."

"That means you failed the exercise. I didn´t think that´s even possible. As punishment you will run 2 laps around the academy. The rest you is dismissed. See you tomorrow." Kensuke said with a smile on his face.

"See you tomorrow, Ito-sensei."

x X x x X x x X x x X x

Seeing who was picking him up surprised Sasuke a bit. His brother waited for him in front of the gate. "Nii-san!" Sasuke exclaimed quickly running to his brother.

"Sasuke. How was school?"

"It was ~"

Itachi zoned out of his brothers storytelling. He had witnessed their last hour of school, from Naruto´s 6 extra push-ups to his punishment for not finding something that didn´t exist. In that moment he decided to help Naruto. Not for the sake of his mother or Naruto´s parents, but simply to give that small boy a sliver of hope, a sliver of family, and a purpose. That however brought a problem, the question he asked himself was no longer 'Will I help Naruto?', it turned into 'Can I bring Naruto to protect the leaf?'

x X x x X x x X x x X x

Slightly longer than chapter 1 and hey, Naruto has his first appearance.

To be honest, the chapter was 2/3 done about 2 weeks ago, but I wasn´t entirely satisfied with the Itachi / Mikoto dialogue and didn´t want to review it, because I thought I had to rewrite it. Turns out I didn´t screw up too bad (in my opinion) and only had to edit a small part of it.

**Answers to reviews**

Sadly, only one person reviewed. Since the review wasn´t a question I only say: We agree!

Looking forward to more reviews

(hint)

What do you think of Kensuke? What do you think of Megumi? (did I manage to make you hate her with just 2 lines of text?)

(hint)

A question: Do you want to read about Itachi´s Chuunin exam? The thought just occurred to me, I have nothing planned, but it´d just be names ... names and combat scenes. Give me your opinion, please.

That´s it from my side for now, I´m momentarily trying to correct a possible plot-hole, due in 4-8 chapters, depending on the question above. Next chapter should be done in ... a month?

-MasterAnt


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